Clarksburg VA Parking

Clarksburg VA Director Says IG Report ‘Misleading’ On $10 Million Parking-gate Audit

Clarksburg VA Parking

One 20-year employee turned executive at the Clarksburg VA hospital said the reason he tried to pay $10 million for a 25 parking space lot was because he was new.

Six years ago, VA executives at the Clarksburg VA (aka Louis A Johnson VA) in West Virginia set out to build a parking ramp to solve its 600-spot parking shortage at the facility. After six years of working on it, the present director, Dr. Glenn Snider Jr settled on reducing the size of the ramp from the planned 430 news spaces to only 25 spots at a taxpayer cost of $10 million.

VA OIG auditors caught wind of the boondoggle and pulled the plug on the deal.

Clarksburg VA Director Says IG Report ‘Misleading’

Dr. Snider said the IG’s conclusion was “inaccurate and misleading” and that he was new to the issues related to the parking matter despite working at the facility in a leadership for over a year.

Dr. Snider said he “didn’t become director of the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center until March 2016” so he “wasn’t in charge then”, based on the takeaway from the Exponent Telegram. “I did not run the show then.”

Meanwhile, Snider’s bio says “he has served as the chief of staff at the medical center since September 1999” and began serving as acting director in May 2015 before it was made permanent last year.

Is he lying or just bad with numbers?

Nonetheless, problems with the plan follow the same train of problems with practically every other problem at VA. Executives failed to conduct due diligence and were grossly irresponsible with taxpayer funds. VA wasted $400,000 throughout the process of pursuing the boondoggle. No one will be held accountable.

In addition, the facility botched numerous other construction projects resulting in $2.8 million in waste. And, we can all rest assured no one will be held accountable.

IG Parking-gate Report

According to IG:

We substantiated the allegation that VAMC managers did not effectively manage and oversee the eight construction projects identified in the complaint. Most significant was a parking garage planned at a cost of approximately $9.7 million that was reduced from approximately 430 new spaces to approximately 25 new spaces before the project was canceled in March 2016. The VAMC also had to reduce other construction projects in scope because of inadequate planning and delayed project completion. The VAMC has completed only three of the eight projects; all three cost significantly more than planned. This occurred because of inaccurate cost estimates, untimely performance of site surveys, and failure to ensure project designs were within funding limitations. In total, we identified approximately $2.8 million in unnecessary costs and delays in completing projects needed to serve veterans.

How much longer will VA be allowed to manage its own construction contracting?

Source: https://dailycaller.com/2017/03/28/va-tried-to-pay-10-million-for-25-parking-spaces-and-20-year-officials-excuse-is-that-hes-new/

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162 Comments

  1. Due diligence. The VA privatization scam also. Nobody minds the till. Same thing with the Choice Program. I get 24 visits to the Dr for the next 6 months. No reason for the quadrupling that I know of or at least that I’ve been told about. So how does the contractor, Health Net, get paid? For the number of visits they authorize or the number I actually use?

    1. The reason why they are authorizing so many visits is because the Choice program has over a billion dollars in it yet that has not been spent.

      I read an article few weeks ago about the VA and congress wanting to extend the Choice program because if that billion is not spent, then it is lost.

      As you know, when Choice started, the VA authorized the absolute minimum appointment and nothing more. Xrays, other tests, etc., had to get another authorization.

      It was a joke.

      When I was referred to neurology through Choice recently, the VA authorization letter says it’s for 12 visits between the date on the letter and August.

      It also says any test, procedure or whatever is deemed necessary is also authorized.

      The VA is scrambling to get the money spent since they administered it so foolishly when it first started.

      But you raise a good point about Health Net getting paid.

      Are they putting pressure on the VA through Congress for the VA to get that money spent so HealthNet can get fee payments?

  2. Prior to the invasion of Afghanistan, opium production was banned by the Taliban, although it still managed to exist. The U.S. and its allies have been accused of encouraging and aiding in the opium production and the ongoing drug trafficking within the region. Ivanov claimed that only around 1 percent of the total opium yield in Afghanistan was destroyed and that the “international community has failed to curb heroin production in Afghanistan since the start of NATO’s operation.”…….just follow the money and it would lead right back to our government and NATO…..get rid of pain meds and sell more of there product , its just good for business

  3. If you go to the IG report, you will find a reference there to this contract titled, “Minor Construction Project No. 540-320”. Its considered minor since it was supposedly under $10 million.

    If you search on that title above, you can find the actual contract at the VA vendor portal, document number VA244-14-R-0130-004.pdf.

    What’s laughable about this 573 page document is the amount of detail included in which the VA dictates to the contractor what kind of training is required by them that the contractor must provide to the VA on everything about this parking garage, how to operate any equipment, maintaining it, even right down to how any training videos should be narrated.

    But the VA claims their contracting officials did not have adequate training from the VA in how to oversee this disaster properly.

  4. Dammit……..repost from above to here where it belongs.
    ∩ │◥███◣ ╱◥███◣
    ╱◥◣ ◥████◣▓∩▓│∩ ║
    │╱◥█◣║∩∩∩ ║◥█▓ ▓█◣
    ││∩│ ▓ ║∩田│║▓ ▓ ▓∩ ║
    Goodnight Ben’s World

  5. @cj @Ex va – You both are one hour behind me. That means my nights are shorter. Thanks. I appreciate that very much. You see, VA don’t care, my online friends on Ben’s blog don’t care, and my dog is still made at me from what happened last night. Ex and cj, I never had a dog before that held a grudge on the simplest things that went wrong. Bad dog, naughty boy, . . . Good night, AHHHHHH, I stepped on a dang nam metal stapler that was in the rug. Bottom of foot is bleeding. Dam got the blood all over the carpet. You see, now my dog is licking the blood. He is a hound dog.

      1. @ANutterVet: Scrolls back…………..^there^………well I’ll be, damn cheap sunglasses, ya get what ya pay for.

      2. @cj – I got lost . . . sunglasses? You see Ex, I get lost too. Its past 2:30am on my end. CJ, you at 1:30am, Ex what time do you have?

      3. @ANutterVet, it is 1:43am now. That took 13 minutes to get here that time? I am in Illinois south of cj.

      4. @Ex va: Ex I better get going as well, with the rain and thunder, I have to keep my dog calm. Hope you sleep well. God Bless you and your family.

        ∩ │◥███◣ ╱◥███◣
        ╱◥◣ ◥████◣▓∩▓│∩ ║
        │╱◥█◣║∩∩∩ ║◥█▓ ▓█◣
        ││∩│ ▓ ║∩田│║▓ ▓ ▓∩ ║
        Goodnight Ben’s World

      1. @ANutterVet, @cj, You guys got me on that one!!!!LOLOLOL!!! LMAO!!!!! I fell into that one with blinders on. Lol!!!

  6. @Ex va – only razzing you. but it is true colder air is more dense than warm air.

    1. @ANutterVet, @Ex va: Is that why VA employees are dense in the winter, and air heads in the summer?

      1. @ANutterVet: We are not air heads dammit…………it’s not summer yet,,,,,,,,,,we are…….dense.

      2. @cj – Yeah, thick and dense, you gotta swim through it, or use a machete. Hey Gents, I’m going to go to bed. I’ve been laying on my right side all this time, and it is getting uneasy to stay in this position. You folks get some good rest, and God bless you and your families. Chat later, Nutter

    2. @Ex va – This is true; sound travels further and faster in colder air. Cold water hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water does. End of science class. Lets go spear some fish to put on da barbie

  7. @Ex va – Ping waves travel better in colder air because the air is thicker during the winter. During the summer, the air becomes thinner and the molecules are spread further apart and can’t bounce or travel as good as in colder air. Did you open up your window?

  8. @Ex va – For real, you need to open your window. I sent you a voice message. When you open up your window, the voice message will automatically bounce to your IPad’s speaker or shake jump over to your door knob and jiggle the handle. Open up your window. I still have your IP address zeroed in. Ready, go to the window.

    1. @ANutterVet,@Ex va: What? wait……..Ex va has a shakey bed? ……..makes note…..send Ex va, two…no four rolls of quarters for his birthday.

    2. @ANutterVet, if you got my IP address i am getting scared now. Lol!!!! It wouldn’t surprise me with technology out there who knows what is available now. You probably could ping me thru the window. Lol!!!

  9. .+——————————+
    .|.PLEASE.DO.NOT.FEED.|
    .|………THE.TROLL……….|
    .|………THANK.YOU………|
    .|….The.Management…..|
    .+——————————+
    …….,,,,,……|..|
    ………………|..|…..O
    ….o…………|..|……|
    __\|/___…=\|..|/=_\|/____

  10. @Ex va – Lets catch up. VPN is used for online security, and it is hard to find out where you are while online. Each IP service that you have, has a numbered address where people can find you and look right into your window. They run these small fast programs called SEO = Search Em Outs. They are very efficient, and you won’t even know that they’re looking right at you. Wait a minute, I have you IP address. Now count to 10, and look out from you window. Ex, for it to work, the detection wave can only go through an open window. Now open you window so that the wave can enter, then it will bounce back to where I live. I’ll then post another comment to you and let you know that it worked. Open your window.

    1. @ANutterVet, ROFL!!!! I don’t think i can be found out but you guys are educating me now on this. I have security and who knows probably been found out. I wish i had been doing this all along cj. Thanks for the information. ANutterVet, thanks for explaining this stuff for me too. I am not going to open a window it is too damn cold. Maybe when it gets warmer. Lol!

      1. @Ex va: That reminds me, I planted spinach, heirloom romaine, regular romaine, Detroit dark red beets, and Early wonder beets.

  11. @Ex va: With our government? I trust nobody, not even apple when they say they are safe.
    Canada, Germany, Netherlands, and Singapore, are his choices with Opera.

  12. @ANutterVet: It is Ex va’s birthday today. We have to celebrate;
    ¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·
    ¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸Happy Birthday To You¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸
    ¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·

      1. @Ex va: It’s not your birthday? Darn crystal balls……….never trust crystal balls when they come from China.
        What am I gonna do with all this beer? and Cake?

    1. @cj – He’s 21 young, and feeling high strong, watch out mama because here he comes. Happy B-Day Ex. In Hawaii, anything is a reason to party. Woo Who . . .

      1. @cj, to be 21 again i would change a lot of things i did. I was really stupid then. Lol!!

  13. @cj, could ANutterVet be coming from the islands with the opera browser? I heard the government could not crack apple so i am suppose to be safe with an iPad. It probably isn’t true. Do you know cj?

      1. @cj – I’m a little familiar with VPN’s but not secure in making a purchase. Can you send me what to mostly look for to get a good package? And any drawbacks. Been trying to save up for an ukulele;

        [Kamaka] “https://www.kamakahawaii.com/instruments.html

        A little saved up at a time. Good quality instruments from Hawaii, made with Koa wood [exotic hard wood that has a lot oils, wood actually feels like a soft wood]

      2. @ANutterVet: You would probably really like the Opera browser, it is very fast. It comes with a built in vpn, where you can chose where you want everyone to think you are if they try to ping your ip. Opera is free as well.
        Go into the setting and enable vpn, then you will see it in the address bar, click on it, and chose where you want to be. Beautiful uke.

    1. —–===(_() —-===(_() —–===(_() —-===(_()
      MARSHMALLOW FIGHT!!!!! —–===(_() —-===(_() —–===(_() —-===(_()
      —–===(_() —-===(_() —–===(_() —-===(_()

      1. @cj – You’re always fighting with those air filled fluffy sugar based treats. You ok, or starting trouble again?

        @Ex va – where you stay?

      2. @ANutterVet, that post jumped a foot. Lol!!!! I try to stay out of trouble, but fail miserably at it. You guys are talking tech. That is over my head. Lol!!!

  14. Wife bought me packages of almond short bread cookies. Good wit java and pain med. lol

      1. @cj – Yeah she does, but sometimes I’m kinda picky when I shouldn’t be. I sometimes have a hard time when someone gets me a gift, and I don’t like it or not interested in it one bit. It would be better if they would find out what I like first. Then get me a gift to make sure it is something that I like. Is this too picky or wrong? Or should I just fake it when I get a gift, then give it to someone else instead of letting the party know that I’m not into what they got me? Help!!!

      2. @ANutterVet: When it’s a gift from your wife, it is always something you want weather you know it or not. For everyone else? just wrap it back up and give it to someone else as a gift That way you can say your doing your part to save the Earth by recycling. LOL

      3. @cj – Understand the first part. The second; then I’m out of a gift. Is this the price that I have to give the Mother of the Earth? Or Earths Mother? I need to get it clear on who I’m going to have to give it to first.

      4. @ANutterVet: Bring it back to the store it came from and get a gift card, Then get something that you do want.
        Marshmallow cannons are expensive, and the sta puff dude won’t sell his. He has a custom 8 barrel.

  15. @cj – Did you have the VPN for awhile or did you just get it due to the new law with IPS being able to sell info on our searching behavior?

  16. VA exec “how ate we going to pay for these parking gates”?

    VA accountant “lets reduce 1 million vets from 100% to 90% disability”!

    VA exec “Call the VARO and tell then to send the letters out in one month and have my assistant plan my European vacation”.

  17. I often see you people post analogies between VA and business.

    It is nice to compare the two but honestly I never got the knack myself of asking somebody else to pay shitloads for shit. This just means I never made management. When they asked me, how much is two plus two, I replied, “three”, so they put me in charge of accounts payable which means of course the VA analogy falls apart (in their accounts payable department the folks answered -2).

    I did learn enough about business though to understand that cash is the “lubrication” that keeps the business operating smoothly. It occurs to me that the VA blows through cash faster than an old Subaru diesel engine Brat blew through motor oil and that is a LOT of lube.

    Maybe we are looking at this wrong? Maybe the VA is just lubing up America for something special and then when we finally get the joke good and hard we will laugh all of this off? We just have to wait for the punchline…

    1. @Dennis – The punch line most likely already slipped past us. VA always tries to be many steps ahead of others. Its not often they get caught beforehand. Sliding off . . .

      1. @ANutterVet,@Ex va: I am back, and apparently in Germany according to my browser. VA can’t catch me now hahahahaha ٩(- ̮̮̃-̃)۶

      2. @Ex va – Why, you have someone watching you from behind as you post comments? Nah, only joking.

      3. @ANutterVet, no don’t work in hell anymore. Don’t plan to visit either. Lol!!! Yes, i did have individuals watch me work. It was an awful experience. Never will forget it and wish i could forget that, i can forget other things.

      4. @Ex va: See I knew it, you forgot your birthday. party is back on everyone.

        ¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·
        ¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸Happy Birthday To You¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸
        ¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♬·¯·

    2. @Dennis, i do not believe there is a punch line or a joke concerning the seriousness of the incompetency of the department of veterans affairs. It is real damages on so many levels. It involves loss of life, which is the worst they can do and they do it with such calluseness and their arrogance and insensitivity to the damage they cause makes a normal person sick.

      1. @ANutterVet, they have so many directives and laws already on the books that they completely disregard. i dunno either.

  18. @cj, i see things are going good around here!!! LMAO!!!!! Tired but doing good. I like the rat bastard… Rofl!!!!

  19. test rat bastard:
    ———__————-_,-“~^”-.
    ——-_//-)——_,-“~`——-——`.
    —–.”-(-/`”-,-“`——————–—-–;
    —-/-6—————————————–;
    —/———–,—————————,-“—––;
    –(,__.–.——\————————–/———–;
    —//’—/`-.\—|————————|———-–`._________
    —–_.-‘_/`–)–)–…,,,___________\—–———\———-–,)
    —(((“~`-_.-‘.-‘————————\————)——-—//
    ———(((“`——————————-(((—~”`———//
    ——————————————–———————–((________________
    ————–RAT-BASTARDS——————————-—-`—-“”””~~~~^^^“`

    1. @namnibor: yeahhh! okay namnibor, copy and paste to your text editor and save for future use, is much better than the first post.

  20. We are always getting fucked aren’t we? So, in the manner of all things fucked, if you ever wondered what it looks like from the inside, heaven only knows why you would want to know, but here goes the visual.

    Take your index finger, and touch your thumb, and make a circle, like your making the a-okay sign. Now put the circle you just made, around your nose, and go look in the mirror. Now you know what it looks like, getting fucked from the inside. I know, I know………too much information.

    1. @cj – I’ve changed my opinion about you. You’re to me, “a very sicko man, that needs help, but is nowhere avail.” What to do, “drop you f – – k – – g ass off at the VA.”

      1. @ANutterVet, you are cracking me up!!! A very sicko man!!!!…… ROFL!!!! Cj, can’t help it!!!!! We all have are problems….. LOL!!!!!

      2. @cj – That’s why I heard they’re all looking for you because you stay running. “Go ahead and keep it up,” they said, “because when we tackle his dirty gardened ass, we’re going to seed him with some gooey stuff, and confiscate all of his Morphine HCl.” “Even the extra that he has stashed in the cabinet.” They said stand by, and watch you door.

        I see you’ve been busy with your artwork. lol [lower case means giggling a little, kind a chuckling a bit]

      3. @Ex va @cj – Gotta try to keep the spirits up, because I know that there is going to be a bunch of shit happening later on. Don’t know what. I have a feeling. Don’t know wheye. I’m filled up past my forehead. Don’t know when. Nowadays, its hard for me to keep time. Don’t know what color it is. Because I’m stoned on some good shit, and the waves of light are fantastic.

        Sounds like your a bit perky tonight Ex. cj has been on a very good roll tonight. Artwork, learning how to manipulate people when they read his posts, etc.

  21. exactly why I have continued to send requests to leadership to have committee spending only and stop giving individual’s at VA opportunity to steal or mismanage taxpayer funds. I have also asked several times to have all VA transactions listed in Wall Street Journal for public to see who is doing business with VA, what they are charging, and make sure all contracts are bid on. There is no reason American taxpayers should not be allowed to see the numbers.

    1. @Timothy Coffey: Your spot on, and it isn’t too much to ask for.
      Now, If………I were the VA and read your comment, I would have to scratch my head and say “quit making sence”

    2. @Timothy Coffey – From reading your post, I’d gather that you’re a very concerned citizen or an ex-VA employee, yes, no, a noid from Area 51? Forget all that, keep posting and sending those requests to the VA leadership. Only thing, we always have to wait for a somewhat response. Why? Another party has to read it to them.

  22. c[_] COFFEE BREAK c[_]
    ¯¯̿̿¯̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿’̿̿̿̿̿’̿̿̿)͇̿̿)̿̿̿̿ ‘̿̿̿̿̿̿\̵͇̿̿\=(•̪̀●́)=o/̵͇̿̿/’̿̿ ̿ ̿̿

    1. I intake coffee as much as I drink water as well…coffee good thing. Grind my beans, nothing too fancy, their Kroger brand whole bean, usually like medium to dark roasts but never was a fan of the overly roasted burnt starbux, and since coffee is one of the few true extras I consider luxuries I allow myself, I tend to be a bit of a coffee snob. Not in some entitled hipster snob way. I even like dark choc covered espresso whole coffee beans…coffee good! 🙂

      1. @cj — I will be brutally honest in that I had to look that up and I love to learn new things to learn for retention something I may have skimmed over too quickly in my younger self…so, I am your evil twin of sorts or harbinger of bad luck? Eeek. Sorry, surely not my intention.
        However, in all very dark humor but truth is truth, my best friends have all dropped like flies from this earth as in onto their judgment day, or I long cleaned my house of any lamprey or ’emotional vampires’…very unhealthy types I tend to attract for some reason, and thing is, I too am a creative person, so no matter what aspect of the visual/audio arts, we have the earth’s share of dented acorns. But very special acorns. Some are so special they come in concentrated form…like from ‘The Flintstones’, when Shleprock would come around and always had a thunderstorm above his head and things broke as he walked by them…those special needy types, no matter how genuinely creative and special, if they grated my nerves like chewing rusty nails and crushed glass…yeah, had to clean that entire lot…but I am a fairly optimistic person and a realist, but because I also am a dented acorn, we acorns should stick together until the squirrels pass us by again for another Winter.

        Anyway, sorry if I am the harbinger of bad luck or bad ju ju.

        I may or may not have escaped from Area 51, though… 🙂

      2. @namnibor: LoL, yeah we share the same dark humor. One of my favorites is….what is red, white, and black, and can’t turn around in a closet?..A nun with a spear through her head………..hey now, I didn’t write it, just repeated it. You escaped Area 51, and I belong locked up in Area 51. I know I have an alien ascii around somewhere………

        o
        \_/\o
        ( Oo) \|/
        (_=-) .===O- ~~Z~A~P~~ -O-
        / \_/U’ /|\
        || |_/
        \\ |
        {K ||
        | PP
        | ||
        (__\\

      3. @cj — I needed that laugh…I am in tears I have laughed so hard at that nun in a closet joke…omg…nice rush of endorphins. Thanks, I really needed that!

      4. Will there be any coffee in heaven?
        Will it be generously poured?
        Will there be cream and espresso machines,
        When we go to our eternal reward?

        The beans come from Old Trieste o’er the Atlantic Ocean highway.
        Cross the Mainland and shanghai a ride on a ship Westbound, headed far away.
        Some prefer a smoothie or a Honolulu tea.
        But a cup of Illy cappuccino’s the only one for me.

        Listen to the latte and the cappuccino foam.
        As you fly along the avenue and the coffee takes you home.
        Feel the mighty rush of the sugar, hear the whistling foam and steam.
        We’re riding through these troubled times on the power of caffeine

  23. Was he lying? Or just bad with numbers?

    Yes.

    His excuse of not being in charge is bullshit. He’s in charge now and was the Chief of Staff then. If he wants to use that excuse, it means he was also incompetent as Chief of Staff.

    How can a project go from 430 parking spaces down to 25 wasting so much money other than through gross incompetence?

    Given how bad this disaster is, at what point does someone get prosecuted?

    How long will VA continue managing these construction contracts?

    As long as some political crony keeps getting his money, even if through gross waste, congress will never demand change.

    The VA should have had any construction project bigger than a shithouse yanked long ago. Politics explains why they haven’t.

    Yet we veterans will be the first to be used as an excuse to demand bigger budgets.

    1. @91Veteran– 🙂 LMAO 🙂 “[…The VA should have had any construction project bigger than a shithouse yanked long ago. Politics explains why they haven’t…]”

      The VA would somehow manage to spend oodles of $$$ on only the highest grit of garnet encrusted toilet paper for that shithouse. No, the VA could screw-up even a shithouse. They would build them right on top of known sinkholes in Florida to save $$ so nobody has to empty them. 🙂

  24. Off-Topic news but will likely affect Veterans:

    My State is likely to soon pass a law in which no Dr. in State of Ohio will any longer be able to prescribe any more than -3- days worth of any pain medicine, with a total tablet count to be determined and dosages…this is a knee-jerk over-reaction to the heroin and prescription pain pill abuse not only in Ohio, but Pres. trump is watching what OH is doing and AG Sessions supports what Ohio is proposing…where this sucks is, if the VA should choose to abide by State law this time, it means the VA Pain Dr. Hacks and The VA will be given even more unwelcome presence and control in your life regarding pain medicines, meaning, if you are disabled or generally feel like crap, you will have to return to your VA Hack Pain Med. Dr. ever -3- days…this is totalitarian kneejerk behavior…they are not actually addressing the main element of RX drug abuse…THE DR.’s. Why is that the patient has to pay the price? Many heroin addicts are former pain pill users for legitimate reasons…originally, but that drug…I have seen how it can change people and not for the better, then always chasing a more powerful version of it.
    I wanted to put this out there to let people know what’s being talked about in the pipes…it’s only in a Bill form in Ohio but our Gov. Kasich said he will happily sign it into Law…wait for it…might consider getting off the crap just as to not allow that intrusion…what a pain in the ass. Imagine if you were in Hospice situation?
    The druggies are going to continue getting the heroin when they cannot get the pills, so I guess I am missing the end-game here.

    1. Duly note I consider that stuff poison. But sometimes a necessary poison when nothing else will knock the pain out. I for one am one of those oddballs in which it’s even in my medical notes that codeine and derivatives of Morphine, all tend to make me incredibly nauseas. Always been that way. To add to my hell with that, I also have a natural high tolerance level, meaning it takes even more to affect me, which means projectile vomiting if zophran has not been taken previously.

      However, I am not judging, one person’s poison is another’s_______. Having lost a couple good friends to heroin and other died 10 years ago that got himself addicted to crack…he was a great chef and worked in the better restaurants and I watched him throw entire life away for a destructive drug.

      Rant out. (public service announcement)

      1. I was told that the restricting, weaning, and taking away of legitimate pain medication is like squeezing a balloon. If you squeeze it in one area, it will get much larger in another area.
        The squeezing is in the pain meds and the increase is all the heroin problems.
        The people who are also pill addicts helping in the balloon increasing because the pills were harder to get and cost more than the heroin. the went with the heroin and those of us who have a legitimate need to control our pain are the ones who will ultimately pay.
        f8f

      2. Yep, what happens is when the legal prescriptions become more regulated and thus, less prescriptions issued, so now a law of supply & demand takes place with the folk whom are left in pain or in pain still AND addicted, is the ‘street price’ of legal RX’s (yes, illegal), goes UP, meaning the addict will go for whatever’s cheaper and more readily available…heroin…and then comes the soon to come if not already occurring, thieving, property damage…hell, addicts get fried on electrical lines each summer trying to steal copper…large wires on live high tension…yeah, that’s the framed snapshot of addiction.
        So in the end, those lawmakers in their gated communities will pay the price when either they start having property damages, home invasions, or their voters do…meanwhile never addressing “addiction” or “Pain Management” and then there’s cannabis…it works.
        I have yet to meet any pothead that has even robbed a Twinkie Outlet Store in a fit of munchies…not once. The world just needs to mellow out.

      3. @namnibor: Same here with anything codien. makes me sick to my stomach instantly. I can’t imagine an entire state full of legitimate doctors, would allow all pain meds to be outlawed. No sence whatsoever. It’s madness. What the hell do they expect the outcome to be with this bs manuver? Only outcome I can see legitiamtely happening is once law abiding people will now become criminals, just because they seek relief from unbelievable pain. Your governor is an asshole, I never liked his progressive fucking anti american fucking ways.
        See? this is why I don’t want to comment anymore, Everday some different kind of bs, that boggles the mind, and no way to releive the stress it causes, except to go on a ridiculous rant, and look like a madman. Of course I can’t say what I really want to say, because I would end up behind bars.

      4. I don’t 100% agree that pain is all in your head. Those that promote this belief, well, you’ve either been misinformed, misled, or you’re are spilling out propaganda.

        And, if you have any authority pertaining to changing the prescription laws on how pain medications are prescribed, and that you 100% believe that pain is all in an individuals head, I would consider you to be very dangerous. Why? What about those with injuries that have permanently caused unrepairable damage to nerve type tissues, that are composed of neurons and supporting cells called neuroglia, or “glial cells.” This is the area where the pain signal is first created before it gets to one’s brain.

        There is no doubt that there is an opiate pain medication and an illegal drug overdose epidemic in our country, and other countries around the world. I’m not debating this. But what I’m more concerned about, is how an effective process is going to be set-up, implemented, and managed in order to get the legal epidemic under realistic control.

        With legal pain medications, they are controlled and should be monitored, especially at the physician level of prescribing these types of medications. As for the illegal opiate pain medications, this is a whole different monster of trying to completely eliminate from occurring.

        Purdue Pharma has been alleged to start the current epidemic with its pain medication product called, OxyContin. What many don’t know, is that the first formula of OxyContin’s time-released pill could be crushed into a powder. This would allow the user to either inject, snort, or smoke the crushed powder. Therefore, making the old formula of OxyContin very easy to abuse.

        Purdue Pharma then reformulated OxyContin into a abuse-deterrent formula, which has been reported to be not resistant to abuse as hoped for. Although, with OxyContin’s new formula, abusers then shifted more to seeking out the purchase of heroine, which increased the amount of opiate abuse via non-prescribed [illegal] sources. But what about those individuals that are legally prescribed opiate medications?

        If they have been on pain medications long term, I find that it is down right cruel to cut them off, and therefore, forcing them into withdraw. Even though, this is exactly what is happening in some locations or agencies [VA] in our country.

        In my opinion, there will always be injuries that will require some sort of pain medication, whether it be for short or long term. There needs to be some sort of determination on how to discern when pain medications may be required. I would hope that the jurisdictions would manage the prescription of pain medications to those that are prescribed opiates for the first time. Say like, a 5-day or less supply, then re-evaluated for possible refills.

        But what happens to those who have been on opiate pain medications for a long time? You can’t just cut the individual off from the prescribed medication that they have been getting for a long time. This would be cruel, although, many jurisdictions are using this route. I’m concerned about the States that are seeking to make it law to have individuals go to their doctor every 3-5 days to get the necessary pain medication, when they’ve been prescribed the medication for a long period of time.

        But just watch, Ohio, New Jersey, or another glory seeking State, will be more concerned about being the first one to create such a law, instead of being the first one to humanely monitor the prescribing of such medications for those that need them for a short or a long term basis. Just sayin.

      5. Yes to all and also a big affirmative, my Ohio Gov. is an asshole that could not look you in the eyes when talking if his head was clamped facing you.

        At the same time, the Gov.’s other personality has state agencies handing out new syringe needles like lollipop to whomever wants them and also giving out shitloads of NARCAN (sp?) on the streets.
        All well and good for headlines but what’s happening in my city is the addicts now are DEPENDING on the NARCAN so they are taking higher chances with street drugs known to be laced with such things as fentanyl and something else that used to knock out elephants…wtf?
        But then again, I went to purchase some common electronics compressed air for blowing out dust at Walgreens other day and it was no longer on shelf so I asked…they put the damn compressed air cans back behind the pharmacy because kids are getting high on the propellant…again, wtf?

        I’m getting old, I get that, but still…wtf?!!!!!

        This Ohio and eventually wider reaching law of having to go into the physical Dr. office every 3 days, because they claim refills are a ‘problem’, all this will do is generate more $$$ for the medical industry, clog the system with anyone in pain needing to see the Dr. for the “next 3 day fix”…it seems a bit degrading to a person that’s legitimately in pain enough to warrant such a RX but also enough to royally piss-off Veterans and more.
        All the while, still not addressing that thing called accountability, proper monitoring, and addiction counseling and rehab…

        By the way, the ‘Bill’ in OH came to fruition after some local bureaucrat’s daughter got messed-up with heroin after getting firstly addicted to pain pills. So let’s punish everyone but what I ask is…what exactly do parents do today to guide their snowflakes before setting them free? Some of the parents are just as messed-up though.

      6. @namnibor: Fentanyl and qualudes? llmaooooooooo of course what else would an addicted libtard take? J/k relaxe… I will tell you one possible outcome to this. YOU have to go to your doc every 3 days, for a new script of Morphine, YOU are now a fellon, because YOU are driving on a controlled substance, YOU, can now kiss your gun ownership goodbye. Fentanyl 10x>Morphine.

    2. Nam, I was on VA morphine for over 10 years. At the end I was taking these pills 6 at a time. I told the VA I wanted to quit. They told me that I COULDN’T quit. I had to stay on morphine the rest of my life. Following is a part of a 4 page letter I sent to EVERYBODY! While writing this mini novel I have been doing my research. The facts are; “The Center For Investigative Reporting revealed that VA prescriptions for four highly addictive opiates, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Methadone and Morphine SURGED by 270% nation wide between 2001 and 2012.”
      The Omaha VA SURGED by 375.9% in the same time period!

      More facts; From MENTAL FLOSS.com
      5 NON-GOLD TREASURES STORED AT FORT KNOX
      #5. Tons of Morphine and Opium
      “Among all the gold at Fort Knox is a cache of Morphine and Opium worth millions and no, these were not recovered in the War on Drugs. Instead, they were stored in 1955 in preparation for the Cold War. The US Military wanted to be sure to have enough emergency painkillers in the event that our access to foreign sources was cut off. The tricky part: what to do with these drugs we don’t need any more.”
      MY THOUGHTS Fort Knox and the huge military complex attached to it is a very attractive target for our enemies. The former Soviet Union would have had Fort Knox targeted extensively. I can not believe that the US would have only the one stash. There had to be many more such stashes all over the country. Folks, Opiates do NOT have an indefinite shelf life. So what do we do with these drugs we do not need any more? We dump it on the Veterans in ever increasing record numbers!

      And now just a few years later, they are taking the pain control from Vets while crying about the fucking political considerations. Not every one has the opportunity or the will to do as I have done. And for the next 6 months the VA quacks tried to get me back on this poison. Even to the point of trying to trick me back into addiction. Take the drugs away from the fucking quacks, not the Vets who need it.

      1. @namnibor: I din’t mean to say that “just your governor” is an asshole, obviously he is not the only one…………….I just wanted to clear that up lol. I think asshole is a requirement to run for office. This I am sad to say, includes veterans. Not all, but the majority, and I would say that those that were not, at the time, soon will be.

      2. @Ralph D Carmona Sr: Mr. Carmona, I have been taking Morphine since 06′, I do not take it for pain. For the longest time I had neuropathy in my feet, the tingling and ticklishness? drove me batty as hell. I could hardly take it. It would keep me up for days on end untill I finally just passed out.

        I had a bottle sittin in the cupboard, scripted for back pain. Soon enough, my back was acting up worse than usuall, even an injection of toradol, didn’t phase it. So I decided what the hell, I will try the Morphine.

        It didn’t do shit for the back pain, but what it did do is completely take away the neuropathy. For the first time in almost a year, I was able to get a peacful nights sleep. I have been taking it ever since. Not in increasing amounts either. I take only 35mg emmediate release 3 times daily. I am by no means addicted to it. Not as I was when taking that amount, plus another 3 times daily of the same 35mg of extended release.

        I was able to quite taking Morphine, and stop smoking at the same time. Unfortunately, the neuropathy came back with a vengence, so back on the emmediate release.

        What I don’t know is if med pot, would help in this. I do know as ANutterVet has stated, that pot can negate my other meds. I know this to be a true statement becaue I actually experienced that very thing. I do take heart meds that keep me alive. If I stopped taking them I would no longer be with the living. This confirmed by every doctor I have talked to.

        Where am I going with all this? I have no f ing clue. lol. I’m one sick puppy in the head. At least I hope it gave you a chucke, I know you could use some of those. 🙂

      3. @cj – Hey man, sorry, may be I’m off too. But, I started to chuckle my butt off at the end of your post. And then, I reread the post again. By golly you did. You wrote a comment and had the reader following a path in their mind, then at the end you put a spin on it. This is exactly what I was talking about last night. See cj, I knew you could do to. Hey Brother, man to man, stop limiting yourself. You got it Bro.

      4. @Ralph D Carmona Sr – Mr. Carmona, my Brother, I want to apologize for my friend, cj. Lately, we’ve been trying to get cj to be able to write, in a method that gets the reader entangled into certain thoughts. Then at the last minute put a spin on it. cj, did good, right? Don’t hold any hard feelings. All is welcome. LMAO, my back is hurting more. Dam it cj.

    3. I suspect after the ER’s are overloaded for days on end, they will dig in their heels and wait another 6 months to see how this works out.

    4. @Namnibot [new name? nah, only joking]- The one person that I’m really concerned about is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whom was picked by POTUS to get control of the opioid epidemic. My biggest issue about non-medical or non-science background individuals, is there limited knowledge of the subject, and why opioids has a dark grip on the American public. I guess, like every other political motivated initiative, we’ll have to wait and see. I hope that Gov. Christie picks excellent advisors, researchers, and scientists that will come up with rational and reasonable solutions. And, if Christie gets out of hand per his submitted solutions, we should write to POTUS to have any and all food withheld from Christie. We need to stop the rats from becoming rat bastards. Right Nam.

  25. It is madness. Every aspect of the VA is madness. Who in the hell would believe that it’s ok to spend two hundred fifty thousand dollars to park a car? Oh, its taxpayers money, and they don’t seem to care.

    1. I have mentioned before…they spent almost $7 million here at Grand Junction installing solar panels all over the damn place…with electric car charging stations in the parking structures.

      I doubt a single charging station has been used to date.

  26. Moving directors around so frequently provides them with the excuse ” I wasn’t in charge when that happened”! Who needs to hear this nonsense to make it stop? Millions wasted in projects like this, millions in employee bonuses and yet the veterans continue to suffer. STOP THE MADNESS!

  27. Shoooooo, doggies. You just know those 25 slots would be for VISN Director and on down the august list of overpaid/underworked luminaries who are eager to begin work every morning and need a convenient slot close to the front door. $400 K for a 12X20 patch of laterite is about par for the course at VA-regardless of the location. Imagine if it was in West LA? See you @ NOVA.

    Cleared to active runway

  28. Hey America’s public, don’t feel to bad about how the VA employees abuse you by showing no respect when using your tax dollars in a wasteful manner. They [VA employees] even abuse and use Veterans; the ones that the VA is supposed to be responsible in taking care of and helping Veterans to gather their life back as much as possible.

    Elected Senators and Congress, how about standing up and do what is right and set a high standard, by drawing the attention to and eliminating the corruption and mismanaging of the allocated funds to the VA.

    You’d have a field day if you’d grew just one [ball, bell, bean bag, bojangle, bullock, cajone, clapper, crown jewel, dangly bit, dimsim, family jewel, gonad, grape, huevos, jingle bell, kiwi, nut, nad, nard, rock, slapper, stone, sweetbread, teste, or walnut], and then take the appropriate action. Just sayin.

  29. 03/29/2017

    Dear Benjamin Krause,

    James Box Senior Editor of the Daily Breeze in Torrance California asked in the late 1990s, “Are they all lying?”

    Questioning everyone around the Slidematic case which dealt with Aerospace and Defense Contracting, and the all the businesses and Agencies that surrounded the industry, including all Government Offices.

    The 1998 Cox Report concluded it was Treason.

    Anyone with a mind can then conclude the answer to the questioned asked was Yes.

    As long as you write about it and not demand the money back—Snider and Associates are partying with Millions of dollars at the Country Club over several games of Gulf.

    What about the 508 Dead Veterans at Phoenix VA Hospital?

    Do you want to talk about the price of Parking Spots or the 508 “Homicides”?

    Which one is more important?

    Sincerely,

    Don Karg

  30. I once sat on a water board and at one meeting the Chairman unveiled her plan to extract additional funding from our neighbors – she proposed a water district “road maintenance fee”, which would be a bill sent out monthly to the entire community even though at least two thirds of the entire community were not a part of our water district. Her logic was that since folks outside the district used the public roads inside the district that they should pay for using them.

    I challenged her, saying that sending an bill to somebody who was not even in our district was pointless because they had no obligation to pay for such lunacy. Her response? “Most people wont realize they don’t have to pay and many will just do it to avoid credit problems anyway.”

    Nice, huh? After unwitting neighbors began sending in money for a district they had no say in nor benefitted from, the district promptly bought at enormous expense lanscaping items like flowers and planters and such and made one godamn beautiful road.

    This is what happens to otherwise sane and reasonable people who are given the purse strings to OTHER PEOPLES MONEY. First, a person with such power immediately spends all the money, and though our 25 year old wooden water tower was in depaerate need of repair, the district was spending money to line the roads to the water tower with flowers. And when the money ran out? They began sending bills to any home within the same zip code on official District letterhead and the cycle of out of control spending just kept spiralling out of control.

    We bought flowers, planters, road gravel, and paid for numerous “business trips” by our board of directors, but at the end of the day the water tower just kept rotting away.

    This parking lot thing has nothing to do with poor planning. It has everything to do with the look that I saw in the eyes of my counterpart on the water board who proposed charging anyone within sight of water district porperty not for water, but for the public roads that The District had no onligation or intention of maintaining! The flowers did look nice but there was only enough money to plant them alongside the road that led up to the District President’s home….

    Corruption festers in EVERY government entity, which is why we formed states. It is harder to get away with corruption when the folks who actually send the checks are the ones you see at the supermarket, and the ones you park beside while waiting for your kids to be let out of school. We formed states because we figured that if folks a local place really want to send in checks for flowers and roads to a water district that provides them nothing to drink, then it is their right to do it. If, on the other hand as was the case in our small community, it GREATLY PISSES off the folks who find out that The District had no legal right to charge them for anything then it is MUCH harder for the District President to go to the grocery store and face the music.

    We formed the states because it is just too godamn easy to spend other peoples money and worse, it becomes an addiction with an appetite like no other. Our local community folks who learned of the screw job put an end to it because it was personal.

    With VA not one single dime is personal. Hence we see ten million dollar parking facilities being planned by an agency that is really tasked with providing the water of life to vets. Why do they do it? The same few reasons our water district did it – because they got away with it. Why did it stop? It stopped because the locals knew where each of us lived, shopped for groceries alongside of us, and picked our kids up from the same schools. There is no need to pass a law for accountability when the folks sending the checks are your own neighbors.

    The only way I can see our government reforming veterans benefits is to dismantle VA and in its place send the funding on a per vet basis to the states who can decide how to spend the money. If the state you live in wants to spend it on flower planters in a ten million dollar parking facility then so be it, but whoever does that will have to live with those they screw over. If The People are unhappy that they spend the money on potted plants and parking lots (make no mistake that this WILL be attempted) instead of the care and service of veterans, then The People can vote others in until they get a group that can be controlled by the will of The People.

    As it stands now, Oregon folks send their tax money off to a place three thousand miles away, and the only election we can hold every few year cannot replace those who spend it. In Oregon we ALWAYS learn who the next POTUS will be hours before our ballots are even begun to be counted. In Oregon, we simply do not count when it comes time for The People to speak – we just pay the bill.

    VA is a cash cow of gargantuan proportions. Once in a while we manhandle a VA admnistrator off of the tit and slap him and say “NO, BAD, BAD DOG!” while we simultaneously clean the tit off and make it ready for suckling again and before you know it the enormous sucking sound just starts up again and we notice that even the pigs are pulling milk from the cow.

    VA would suggest the pigs need better guidlines, and maybe a few more directives, rules, and maybe a bib because the milk squirts everywhere and flows unstoppable. I would suggest a more reasonable solution; Make bacon and save the milk.

    All VA functions should be transferred to state control, and therfore under the direct control of us chickens. It is said that in a bacon and eggs breakfast that both the chicken and the pig are deeply invested in the meal, but that for the pig the commitment is far greater. VA claims they are committed to serving vets? Then let the pigs serve us because I’m hungry.

    The VA must go the way of the pig unless we are all ok with just eggs and dry Corn Flakes for breakfast but that seems a pretty poor return on investment in exchange for all the hay we feed the cow.

    1. SO VERY TRUE…I’m now witnessing the debacle that is the Birmingham water board…
      At least the State Ethics Director is now looking into the malfeasence going on. His first act was to give the Board an extensive lecture on what ethics actually is, since it was VERY OBVIOUS they had no idea…His second act was to notify them IN WRITING that he was watching them closely and bad actions would have bad consequences…

      That’s the crux of the problem at the VA…NO ACCOUNTABILITY…

      It’s been that way so long that they have NO IDEA there is actually an ethical way to conduct business..and they do and will continue to fight tooth and nail to resist any change that will threaten their piece of the pie or their little patch of turf…

      Much like serial child molesters, there is no hope of change for these people…you just have to get rid of them..Moving them to another place out of sight only moves to problem to another place, it doesn’t stop the problem…

    2. @Dennis- Great analogy with water boards and particularly like how it seems the VA are actually the ‘pigs’ in that classic work of literature, “Animal Farm”. It’s all becoming more clear through the murkiness.

  31. “Is he lying or just bad with numbers?”

    Probably both.
    This reminds me of what occurred out in Denver, Colorado. When, during construction of the Aurora VHA Hospital (which is $1.7 BILLION OVER BUDGET), the “construction plans” failed to incorporate “parking lots”! (I think it was the Denver Post newspaper reporting it!)
    So, after they found this “little glitch”, the taxpayers were saddled with additional costs in the millions of dollars!
    Remember that little bullshit criminal act by the VA and construction companies?

    I agree with y’all. How much of the taxpayers monies went into those asswipes pockets!?!??!

    Here’s something else I just remembered. In Texas, a couple years ago (no more than three years), two civilian hospitals were built. They were under budget AND under schedule for completion. The cost of BOTH of these TWO hospitals was LESS THAN the VHA hospital in Aurora!
    I think this was reported by a news source out of either Ft. Worth or Dallas.
    It, the article, specifically mentions the Aurora VHA Hospital, because they wanted their readers to know how well their plans of execution on building them was in direct conflict with how VA wasted taxpayers monies! I do remember reading that in the article!

    The problem I see is this. The VA upper management believes veterans don’t remember “FACTS”!

    1. @Crazy elf: elf, this is for you, copy and paste it to your file for whenever you need more than words.

      …………………. ___,@
      …………………/..~~~~~~~~~
      …………\/\…\’==’/………..T.S
      …………\ \___)–(_________r_p_
      ………….\___..().._____/….o.r
      ……………../..()..\ `–…..l-a
      ……………./…()…\………..l.y
      …………..’-.______.-‘
      …………_….|_||_|…._
      ……..(@____) || (____@)
      ………\______||______/

  32. Hey Senators and Congressmen, are you concerned about wasting taxpayers monies? This article is an good example. Well, whatcha goin do? Figures . . .

  33. The VA should get out of the building business and let the Army Corps of Engineers handle ALL building projects…It might not be as pretty but it’ll come in on time and on budget…

  34. Just because a person has a doctorate does not mean they had a minor in common sense as we see everyday thanks to Ben.

    At the va it is called other peoples money, GAF

  35. In Benjamin’s “Bad VA Art” photo of the front of the asylum, I see a circular grassy knoll where 25 cars could fit in the way game pieces fit in “Tetras”. 25 vehicles also could have just as easily parked on an easily widened driveway on both sides, eliminating the grassy knoll all together.

    Hell, why not build parking ramp roads that circle all around the asylum to parking on the roofs? That way if a suicidal vet that sets themselves on fire has a last minute change of heart, can jump to extinguish the flames…but that vet probably would not change mind because the thought of a VA Burn Unit would keep one right in lot on roof.
    Silly idea. But spared no expense because my plan would only have cost $4 Million. and have a view. 🙂

  36. “[After six years of working on it, the present director, Dr. Glenn Snider Jr settled on reducing the size of the ramp from the planned 430 news spaces to only 25 spots at a taxpayer cost of $10 million.]”

    How much you want to bet those 25 spaces were allocated for VA Employees ONLY, and so were the 405 spaces they chopped-off?
    That’s roughly TWO DOZEN CAR PARKING SPACES.

    Now, just go with me and my rather dark and sardonic humor on this: Maybe this also was in the VA’s sicko mind, with full approval of the VA Psych Hacks, to reduce the size of the parking lots will also reduce the amount of Veteran Suicides in parking lots? Less space, less mess, less fuss?

    No, something tells me there’s some very well-fleeced pockets at the VAMC and will go out on a limb and even suggest the “good Dr. that was *new*”, also knew a contractor friend or two on the side.

    If the VA simply waits a little longer the new parking area will manifest on it’s own by the eventual piles of Veteran Suicide ashes, but I’m thinking Veterans are reaching tipping point of all this nonsense and we need to see heads roll on those parking lots. Bowling alley would be fun in parking lot. Rat Bastards.

    Lastly, to think what $10 Million or even $700,000. would do to help Homeless Veterans & Suicide Prevention is the way my brain sees VA fraud and abuse that’s symptomatic of acute stupidity.

    Does the VA OIG, OSC, and U.S. AG and DOJ now have enough BALLS to prosecute and set real examples? I would like to remain hopeful but these bastards are brazen thieves.

    Rant Out.

    1. Uncle Jed, I been doin’ some cypheriin here, uh, let’s see. 25 parking spaces were ten million dollars.
      405 point knot knot divided by 25 point knot knot is 16 point 2 knot. times 25 point knot knot /100 =@$#^
      Golly Uncle Jed, that there parking lot would dang near cost One-Hundred Seventy Million Dollars for 430 parking spaces. Purty near sure Miss Jane won’t much care fer it.

      Poor Mr. Drysdale. He like to tear his hair out thinking bout all that wasted money. Best not tell Granny. Last saw her loadin’ her shotgun over by the see-ment pond. She’ll give them big city boys a double rock salt whammy . . .

      1. Before Granny was loading that shotgun she was downing the contents of her infamous “rheumatoid medicine” that just happens to be in a clay jug to ease her tension on her trigger finger.

    2. @namnibor: In the mean time, they are all up in veterans faces, ruining their lives, causing them to go all ch7, because the VA decided they paid these veterans too much damn money????????????????????

      This is for you namnibor, use it at will, save it to your file:

      ———__————-_,-“~^”-.
      ——-_//-)——_,-“~`———`.
      —–.”-(-/`”-,-“`—————–;
      —-/-6—————————–;
      —/———–,————-,-“—–;
      –(,__.–.——\———–/——–;
      —//’—/`-.\—|———-|——–`._________
      —–_.-‘_/`–)–)–…,,,___\—–\———–,)
      —(((“~`-_.-‘.-‘———–__`-.—)———//
      ———(((“`————-(((—~”`———//
      ——————————————–((________________
      ————–RAT-BASTARDS——————-`—-“”””~~~~^^^“`

      1. @cj — “That’s a really nicely rendered rat.” (say that three times fast with peanut butter in mouth and you will sound like Elmer Fudd)

      2. @Nam – – – I think when CJ is finally done, you are going to have a very fine unofficial “Rat Bastard” logo. Of course the official rat bastards will forevermore be the VA. Lucky you.

        @CJ – – – I saw your post earlier today in another thread that I mentally misplaced. Mahalo Nui Loa (Formal Hawaiian Thank You) for mentioning that you were going to be working on one for me. I am thrilled. Way f*n cool! I, of course, will be patient until you are done. No Rush. I am quite sure that I will be very pleasantly surprised, and maybe chuckling when I see it for the very first time. You seem to be quite talented in that area. Me not at all. I got the scientific mind, and married an artsy-fartsy girl which gives me the best of both worlds. If you ever get to Hawaii, you got a local connection for whatever you need – cab ride, local places to grind (eat) and udda stuffs li’dat . . . Waikiki is Chicago with sun and palm trees – – – best to stay the hell away. But there are still a million spots where the “Old Hawaii” lives. And those are where you find “da good stuff”.

    3. Nam, I’m trying to wrap my head around how 25 parking spaces can somehow cost 10 million.

      25 spaces. Which could be little more than scraped dirt somewhere, or a few inches of asphalt poured over dirt and some striped painted on costing less that $30,000.

      Hell when they decided to put up two parking structures here with over 50 spaces each and solar panels over anything with a roof, it cost less than $7 million.

      How do you waste $10 million over such a period of time and end up with 25 parking spaces?

      1. @91Veteran: I think you posted earlier about the contract going to one of his cronies. You would be correct, I bet if we could find out who the construction company was. I could use the tools I have, for investigating companies to invest in, to find out if a link does exsist.

        You were correct in your estimate, at least in the ball park. the rest of the money would have been retirement money for all involved. Criminal no doubt about it.

        I am still really upset at what Windguy posted, about the VA going after veterans, that THEY over paid benefits amounts to, and the damage it is doing to those veterans lives. And then when you see this kind of in your face blantant corruption, and we all know it happens every single day. It makes no sence to me how they have the balls to go after a veteran, but do nothing about their own corruption. Madness at it’s finest…

      2. When Grand Junction put up the solar panels here, I found the contract documents online, which is how I found out how much they paid.

        I will have to dig around and see what I can find on this.

      3. @91Veteran: The actuall cost to build a 24 space parking lot would be around: 127,253.23. of course this is just an estimate, albiet a proper estimate. Far cry from 10 million. as per “https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.aspenational.org/resource/resmgr/Techical_Papers/2014_Jan_TP.pdf”

      4. Since I just saved them over 9 million, can I get my bonus now? I will take 10 percent in small unmarked bills, in several different untraceable currencies, on a pallet, delivered in secret, under the darkness of a moonless midnight sky, at an undisclosed airport.:)

      5. Well, you know how some people have to shit in a solid gold toilet?

        Well in the same vein, the same turds need golden parking spots.

        It’s so logically clear now.

  37. 10 million for a 25 space parking lot?? Makes ya wonder how much VA paid per dog for their worthless research. The bottom of the swamp knows no bounds. Worthless fucks……..

    1. VA SEWAGE RATS RATS LIVIMNG OF US TAXPAYERS $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    1. waste and abuse, nothing new. All of these must be looked at by the secretary. I understand how we all feel about VA employee’s not being held Accountable. With the new Law being signed soon I hope will be used to remove or demote VA employee’s who are wasting money or who don’t know how to run the show.

      It’s amazing how the Director can call it a show. If its a show, then we have a lot of Bad Actors and that’s what they are doing acting, don’t know what they are doing and don’t care. Its actors like the director that are ruining the VA.

      The VA must hire people that know the role and know what they are doing. Maybe those that have access to these reports should copy them and send them to the White house and see if they take action !

      1. That “show” should have a ‘Big Top Tent’ rather than a parking lot. Then the clowns could just come around to the cars with their “acts”.
        There easily could be a freak show ride as well through VA Experimental Labs.

        “The Show Must Go On!”

        “Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, PT.1″, by Emerson Lake & Palmer:

        on Amazon Music

        Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in the air
        About an age of power where no one had an hour to spare,
        Where the seeds have withered, silent children shivered, in the cold
        Now their faces captured in the lenses of the jackals for gold.
        I’ll be there
        I’ll be there
        I will be there.

        Suffering in silence, they’ve all been betrayed.
        They hurt them and they beat them, in a terrible way.
        Praying for survival at the end of the day.
        There is no compassion for those who stay.
        I’ll be there
        I’ll be there
        I will be there

        There must be someone who can set them free:
        To take their sorrow from this odyssey
        To help the helpless and the refugee
        To protect what’s left of humanity.
        Can’t you see
        Can’t you see
        Can’t you see

        I’ll be there
        I’ll be there
        I will be there;

        To heal their sorrow
        To beg and borrow
        Fight tomorrow.

        Step inside! Hello! We’ve a most amazing show
        You’ll enjoy it all we know

        image: https://static.urx.io/units/web/urx-unit-loader.gif

        Step inside! Step inside!

        We’ve got thrills and shocks, supersonic fighting cocks.
        Leave your hammers at the box
        Come inside! Come inside!

        Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
        See the show!

        Left behind the bars, rows of Bishops’ heads in jars
        And a bomb inside a car
        Spectacular! Spectacular!

        If you follow me there’s a speciality
        Some tears for you to see
        Misery, misery,

        Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
        See the show!

        Next upon the bill in our House of Vaudeville
        We’ve a stripper in a till
        What a thrill! What a thrill!

        And not content with that,
        With our hands behind our backs,
        We pull Jesus from a hat,
        Get into that! Get into that!

        Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
        See the show!”

        -ELP

      2. Ben I looked at the GOA on high risk managing study. What I under stand it saying is that the VA was given billions for veterans to be seen by private doctors for non service connected conditions.

        It states, that the review showed that the VA was denying many claims, that should have not been denied. and do to lack of tracking the claims they were unable to find out who was doing this.

        That they fill that due to the VA denying these claims and lack of recording who did what, there is more to this than just incompetence, that the authority GAO has, is out of their jurisdiction and that another Agency should handle this matter. OIG, FBI.

        The VA seems to have done this on purpose, seems one or more employee’s, felt Veterans did not deserve this care and decided to take it upon themselves to deny all those claims.

        Or Management instructed one of their flunkies to do it. They also indicated that VA gave them vague answers as how they will fix it and VA is unable to perform their duties.

        This is a major problem where management instructs their employee’s to do this or we have an employee’s who is willing to hurt veterans because of how they feel about veterans. (HATE)

        This is happening at every VA. The VA has had decades to stack the deck with employee’s who will do what ever they are told and not question it or they have been told to do it. It also states accuracy is not cared about, timeliness is what matters.

        The VA is just living up to their doctrine, Deny Deny, Die, Attitude.

        Only one way to fix this, Fire, Fire, Jail !

  38. Wow . . . that’s $400,000 per parking spot! Vets, we stay in da wrong biz. We can hire some illegals and get em all done, and make some big bucks. VA corruptions and outright malicious activities are more than obvious. Somebody stop this dam madness, its sickening.

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